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Biyang FZ10 Fuzz Star – No Fizz just kick ass Fuzz!

Now I think this is the fifth or sixth pedal I have reviewed from Biyang, and I must say that this is another great bargain priced pedal. Now I don’t wear rose-colored glasses where every product I review is fantastic and I only look at the benefits. But really, in summary (just in case you get bored and don’t read anymore!) this is like a Muff Fuzz in a pedal, but with a little more clarity, more compact and way more fun as it is way cheaper!

Lets have a listen to how she sounds in Darrens video demo below… The amp in the video is a Fender ’59 Bassman LTD (Lacquered Tweed) 4×10 Jensen 45W combo and the guitar he is using is Jeremy’s Aria Pro II Strikin Sounds ST54, before he started his relic project, which is fitted with Fender Custom Shop 56 NOS pickups.

Okay, reviews are subjective I know, but when you plug it in (especially through a valve amp) and crank it, you won’t know that the Biyang FZ10 Fuzz Star is a $65 pedal!

Biyang FZ10 Fuzz Star

Now like all of the Biyang pedals I have reviewed so far it too is powered by a normal Boss sized power adaption at the top or it can be powered by a 9v battery and it comes in the usual MXR sized powder coated case.

Okay, here are some specs for you nerdy types (like me!).

Firstly it is a true bypass, as opposed to Buffered, which actually helps your signal along the chain. It features German WIMA capacitors, and is quiet when engaged, although turn the Gain up fully and you will hear some noise!

Okay controls… It features a Volume, Tone and a Fuzz control, and as with a lot of the Biyang Baby Boom pedal range, it has a toggle switch that allows you to access 3 different modes; Normal, Bright and Warm.

So in the Normal modes you get that Muff type of tone, you know, saturated and overdriven with lots of sustain. In the Bright mode you get a slightly brighter and clearer tone which is good for Rhythm work, chords or searing type of leads. Lastly in the Warm mode, I will say that is darker, or maybe has less treble, but it is still smooth, and not quite as gritty.

I didn’t use the Warm mode as much as the Normal or Bright modes, but if you have a really bright Telecaster you might find yourself using this mode a fair bit. I will say that the Tone control is usable and does a good enough job at adding more treble or rolling it off (and therefore increasing the bass etc…). It has a lot of gain on tap, and more than enough, I am willing to bet, for most bedroom rockers like me!

So I won’t rave on and on about it, but I did mention I liked it because it has a real gritty type of Fuzz, as opposed to the ‘Splattery’ type of fuzz (if you know what I mean) which is what I prefer in a Fuzz Pedal. It works great for getting David Gilmour’s, ‘Comfortably Numb’ type of tones, and come on, who doesn’t like Gilmour’s tone?!!!

So again, for the price, this pedal is hard to go past, and it sounds sweet when it’s combined with an Overdrive or Reverb pedal! Rock on!!

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About strataminor

Born in Brisbane I am a bedroom guitar player, although having played in front of churches (tough crowd!!) for quite a few years so some understanding of band dynamics, timing, gear (private use compared to public use) and melodic structure, instrumental breaks (okay leather pants solos....) and of course amps!
Besides from my love of guitar and the G.A.S that goes with it (hey email me I am always offloading gear!! lol) I love languages, and can converse in basic Japanese, and study biblical Greek. I live in Logan with my young family (so not heaps of time at the moment) and will be contributing gear reviews based on a lot of gear I have or still currently have.